


Seventh Attempt

by LyriaBlackFrost



Series: Fic Requests [17]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, Light-Hearted, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24221284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: Ryuji knew his crush on Yuuki was hopeless, but it didn’t stop him from trying—and failing—to confess his feelings. Once, twice… Six times, without success.One would think he would have learned his lesson after six failures, but no… He definitely didn’t. And maybe he never would.
Relationships: Mishima Yuuki/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Fic Requests [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1141385
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Seventh Attempt

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by tiffycatblogs. ~~NGHHHHH my precious boys JDSAHKAS~~ Thanks for requesting these good boys! <3
> 
> I hope you like it!

The more Ryuji thought about it, the more he realized his feelings for Yuuki should never have caught him by surprise.

Yuuki was cute, smart, and fun to be around. He worked hard, and whenever Ryuji was having a bad day, he was the first one to notice it. He was kind, and gentle… and yet, he proved time and time again to be much stronger than his tiny frame could make it seem. He had a special place in Ryuji’s life, that no one would ever be able to take.

The thing was, Ryuji loved him. As a friend, yes, but also more than that.

Part of him knew that was a hopeless feeling, which would be much better hidden deep inside his chest, ignored until time finally made it fade away. But Ryuji’s rationality had never been his strongest point, and whenever he was with Yuuki, his mind was filled with the many different ways he could confess his feelings to him.

The problem was that Ryuji, despite being openly affectionate to Yuuki—and all of his close friends, for that matter,—was a failure when it came to expressing his romantic feelings. If he tried to, there were a few things that could happen: one, he would panic before he even started, and quickly make his way to the nearest bathroom to avoid the subject; two, he would start giggling nervously after the first few words and kill the mood; three, he would choke on air and ruin the mood in a completely different way; four, he would cry; five, he would go on a long rant about _bros_ and how great friendship between men is; six, he would freeze in place and give up before he even opened his mouth.

_Seventh time is the charm,_ said no one ever. By that point, that smart part of Ryuji’s brain was begging him to stop embarrassing himself in front of Yuuki, and move on. Unfortunately, though, Ryuji was stubborn, and tended to imagine the best scenario in his head, only to see it crumble as soon as he opened his mouth. One would think he would have learned his lesson after six failures, but no… He definitely didn’t. And maybe he never would.

They were playing a fighting video game at Ryuji’s home that afternoon. It was a common thing for them to do after class, and by that point, even Ryuji’s mother treated Yuuki as part of the family. Yuuki had even said once to him that he felt more at home in Ryuji’s place than his own, and the memory of it was enough to fill his chest with a bittersweet feeling: someone like Yuuki deserved a caring and loving family more than anyone else, and it always frustrated Ryuji to see how strict and distant his parents acted toward him; on the other hand, he was happy to know he had given Yuuki a safe place to go to whenever he needed.

“Wait, no!” shouted Yuuki, quickly trying to save his character from falling out of the stage, only for it to be kicked by Ryuji and sent flying out of the screen. “No! I was so close!”

Ryuji laughed triumphantly, resting his arm on Yuuki’s shoulder.

“At least you tried, Yuuki…” he said. “But ain’t no way you’re gonna defeat a fuckin’ master like me.”

Yuuki narrowed his eyes at Ryuji.

“You remember that I’m still winning, don’t you?” he asked.

Ryuji shrugged.

“For now.”

Yuuki shoved him to the side with a small laugh.

“Alright, then,” he said. “Let’s settle this on the next match.”

Ryuji watched as Yuuki chose his character, then, suddenly, he had an idea. _No, it was a terrible idea…_ But it still could work. _But what if it didn’t?_ He would find a way to deal with it when it happened. _But weren’t things good enough as they were? Wasn’t he happy with being just friends?_

As if rational words had ever been enough to stop Ryuji, especially when they came from himself.

“How about we make a bet on who wins next?” he suggested. “Whoever loses gotta do something nice for the winner.”

A competitive glint immediately took Yuuki’s eyes.

“Alright,” he said. “If I win…” He took a moment to consider his options. “You’ll have to make lunch for me tomorrow.”

“Fine by me,” answered Ryuji.

“And, if _you_ win…”

“I’ll get a kiss from you.”

Ryuji said it before his courage went away. Yuuki stared at him with a lost expression, as if expecting him to correct himself, or start laughing at any second. Ryuji did neither.

“What?” asked Yuuki in a high-pitched voice.

_Fuck,_ he was about to panic.

“No takin’ it back now…” retorted Ryuji, turning his attention to the TV. “Let’s do it!”

“Wait…!”

Before Yuuki could say anything else, Ryuji chose his character, starting the next match. However, that showdown didn’t last more than a few seconds. It was like Ryuji’s memories of how that game worked had suddenly vanished. Yuuki barely needed to touch his controller, because Ryuji made him the favor of throwing himself over the border of the stage.

Ryuji stared at the screen for a long time, hoping that those last few seconds had been nothing but his imagination mocking of him. He felt Yuuki’s gaze on him, and the awkward silence that grew between them was proof enough that, no, that was the _real_ world, and it was _really_ happening. He threw himself back on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm.

_Damn… Talk about pathetic…_

The mattress shifted beside him, and while unable to see his face, he could still feel Yuuki’s gaze upon him.

“Ryuji…” he started to say.

“Sorry,” answered Ryuji in a low voice. “Just forget what I said before.”

“But I—”

“Please, Yuuki…” Ryuji interrupted him. “Just forget about it.”

Yuuki didn’t say anything else for a long while, and Ryuji’s anxiety quickly started to grow. _He knew it had been a terrible idea… What if Yuuki wanted to leave now? What if he chose to never come back?_ The worst part of it was that Ryuji couldn’t even blame him for wanting to stay away from him… Why in hell did he think it would be a good idea to ask for a _kiss,_ out of all things?

He tried to come up with an apology, an explanation for his stupid request. Before he could say anything, however, he heard Yuuki’s soft voice once again.

“Can I change my prize for winning?”

It definitely wasn’t what Ryuji expected. He needed a few seconds for his mind to make sense out of his words, and then a relieved sigh left his lips. Yuuki probably didn’t hate him, and was just trying to save the situation as he could. As embarrassed as he was, Ryuji was thankful for how understanding his friend could be, even in such a situation.

“Yeah, sure…!” He moved his arm away from his eyes, looking at Yuuki. “What do you—”

He stopped talking as soon as he realized how close Yuuki’s face was from his. He almost asked him what he was doing, but before he could, Yuuki closed that small distance, kissing him. It was a soft, brief kiss, but enough for Ryuji’s heart to jump inside his chest. Yuuki moved away, just enough to look into Ryuji’s eyes.

“Do you want this?”

His low, concerned question almost made Ryuji laugh. Instead, he placed his hand on the back of Yuuki’s head, pulling him back into that kiss. Yuuki’s tense body slowly relaxed, and so did Ryuji’s. It was as if part of him was screaming inside, while the other kept insisting that it couldn’t be real, and there was something wrong in all that. Ryuji ignored them both, instead paying attention to the feeling of Yuuki’s lips, and his small body lying over his. His hands, the sound of his breath, the warmth of his body… It was so much better than Ryuji ever imagined, to the point he wished he never had to let go again.

They broke the kiss when both were almost out of breath. Their gazes met, and, once again, Ryuji’s heart jumped at the sigh.

“I’ve been wanting this for…” he made a pause, shaking his head. “I don’t even know how long.”

Yuuki smiled, caressing Ryuji’s hairline with his fingers.

“Me too,” he admitted. “Since our first year.”

The answer caught Ryuji by surprise.

“Really?” he asked.

“How could I not?”

Ryuji stared at him, at a loss for words.

“I…” he mumbled, “can think of a bunch of reasons…”

His response made Yuuki pout at him.

“You better not say them, or I’ll get mad at you.”

“Alright…” Ryuji added quickly. “I’ll be quiet.”

He reached for Yuuki’s face, cupping it with his palm. _Was it really happening?_ He waited for such a long time to touch him like that, and now… _Was he really allowed to do it? Was it really fine?_

“Do you like me?” he asked.

The question made Yuuki giggle.

“I thought it was obvious,” he said.

“I just… can’t believe it.”

Ryuji carefully traced Yuuki’s face with his fingers, and Yuuki observed him for a long while, in silence.

“Can I kiss you again?” he asked.

It was Ryuji’s turn to laugh, amused by the question.

“Anytime you want,” he said.

So Yuuki did it, and Ryuji pulled him closer, embracing his waist. That kiss, and the gentle touches and sensations that accompanied it, made Ryuji’s doubts finally melt away. _Yes, it was real…_ There was no way his imagination could be that perfect. Yuuki moved slightly away, opening his eyes and looking into Ryuji’s.

“Seriously, though…” he murmured. “You still have to make lunch for me tomorrow.”

Ryuji groaned, rolling his eyes.

“You’re unbelievable…”

Not that he actually minded it. If anything, he would make lunch for Yuuki every day if it meant he would keep seeing that content expression on his face—and Yuuki’s playful, but fond smile was proof that he knew it.

_Yes, it was real…_ And the more Ryuji thought about it, the sweeter it became.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!


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